The total of civilians killed in Iraq from January-June 2006
was14338.

The Ministry of Health publicly acknowledged
information stating that since 2003 at least 50000 persons
have been killed violently.

The Ministry further indicated that the number of deaths is
probably underreported.

Saturday July 15The radical Shiite cleric
Moktada al-Sadr said Friday that Iraqis would not `sit by
with folded hands` while Israel struck at Lebanon, signaling
a possible increase in attacks from his militia, the Mahdi
Army. He said that he considered the United States culpable
in the conflict unfolding in Lebanon. Anthony Cordesman, a
military analyst of the Center for Strategic and
International Studies said that Sadr and other radical
groups or figures in the region can `broaden the conflict at
minimal risk, attacking both the U.S. and Israel indirectly
with considerable safety.`

Sunday July 16General David M. Walker, who heads the US
Government Accountability Office, told Congress last week
that `massive corruption` and `a lot of theft going on` in
Iraq`s government-controlled oil industry. He said about 10
percent of Iraq`s refined fuels and 30 percent of its
imported fuels are being stolen, in part because the
subsidized Iraqi price of gasoline is less than half the
regional price. He also noted that oil production is below
prewar production.

Monday July 17Turkey called for Iraq and the US to
crack down on Kurdish guerrillas based in northern Iraq, and
issued a veiled threat to attack the rebel bases in Northern
Iraq if there is no progress.

Tuesday July 18A month after the Baghdad security plan
went into effect, violence has escalated in the city. The
capital`s main morgue has been overwhelmed by the number of
bodies brought in each day, and Iraqi security forces have
been criticized for being part of the problem.

Wednesday July 19The number of trained Iraqi soldiers and
police grew from an estimated 168,670 in June 2005 to some
264,600 this June. Yet Baghdad`s morgue is receiving nearly
twice as many dead Iraqis each day as it did last year. The
number of bombings causing multiple fatalities has risen
steadily. Attacks on American and Iraqi troops last month
grew 44 percent from June 2005.

Thursday July 20Bombings and shootings soared by 40
percent in the Baghdad area in the past week, the U.S.
military said.

Friday July 21 A
US aircraft fired on building in Baqouba. The bodies of two
men, two women and a young girl were found in the rubble,
the U.S. military said. They included two of the girl`s
aunts, an uncle and a grandfather, police said. They did not
know about the child`s parents.

*This
estimate is only of English language media reported
deaths. A peer reviewed epidemiological survey (Roberts
et al., The Lancet, Vol 364 Issue 9448 pp 1857 1864)
estimated that in the 18 months following the invasion 100,
000 excess deaths or more have occurred. Violence accounted
for most of the excess deaths and air strikes from coalition
forces accounted for most violent deaths. Criticisms of IBC
methodology can be found at
medialens